Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars have responded to the Administration’s proposed budget for the delivery of health care for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Fiscal Years 2018-19.

Read the VA’s overview of the proposed budget: ( http://bit.ly/2qpgOSe ) and the assessment of it by the veterans groups: ( http://bit.ly/2qhTuL8 ).

Veterans Affairs (VA) needs a 10 percent boost in funding next year to meet the medical and program needs of the department, according to a coalition of outside advocates. Budget recommendations for the VA compiled by researchers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Paralyzed Veterans of America call for an $8 billion boost in the department’s budget next year to match the demand for veterans’ benefits and services.

Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars have released their proposed federal budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs for this year. The collaborative report outlines legislative and policy issues for veterans. Topping the list of six critical issues for the 115th Congress to address is the need to “strengthen, reform and sustain the VA health care system.”

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has provided a list of five key legislative priorities for the next administration in an effort to ensure key Veterans Affairs (VA) issues remain at the forefront of the administration’s objectives.

Read more at http://bit.ly/2gbrCSs and see the VA’s latest semiannual report on ongoing improvement initiatives at http://bit.ly/2h0FArA.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is working with other Veteran Service Organizations to have the Senate and the House bring to the floor and pass legislation that would modernize the Veterans Affairs disability appeals process. The goal is to have Congress pass the bill and send it to the President for his signature before the end of the year.

A new report from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Commission on Care has called for a significant overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration, to include the expansion of private care options, but stopped short of recommending the complete privatization of the entire health network.

Read more about the report and comments on it by two key veteran organizations, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars:

Operation Keep the Promise is an effort by Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to inform and mobilize supporters regarding the legislative agenda on veterans health care reform. DAV encourages veterans to take a closer look at the various proposals and how some reform ideas would affect vets who choose and rely on VA for their care.

VA Secretary Bob McDonald and former VA Secretary Dr. James Peake have initiated a number of actions being taken by the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve conditions for our nation’s veterans. They have urged Congress to pass legislation in several key areas, including integrating community care into the VA’s healthcare system and fixing the broken process by which veterans appeal unfavorable claims decisions.

Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) remain united in the belief that the VA health care system must be reformed, strengthened and sustained because of the unique, specialized veteran-focused health care it provides to vets. They recognize that the VA cannot meet every health care need of vets in all locations at all times, and it should integrate non-VA community care providers to fill these gaps. The VSO goal is to supplement VA health care, not to replace it.

As the Congressionally mandated Commission on Care moves closer to issuing its recommendations for VA reform, due in June, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has launched a nationwide effort to educate veterans about some of the proposals that have emerged for changing veterans health care.